Finite element analyses require much preparatory efforts of the men and decisions, which makes it difficult to analyze practical forming processes. In order to facilitate the analysis, a finite element analysis system is needed which can minimize the user's decisions and the interruptions occurring during the analyses. The Intelligent Computer-Aided Engineering (ICAE) for analysis of metal forming processes is a newly introduced concept to meet such the requirements. An ideal ICAE system should provide the complete user friendliness and system integrity. Mesh generation process and generated mesh quality influence directly to the results of the finite element analysis, so that in the ICAE system for metal forming processes, an effective automatic mesh generator(AMG) which is essential for the user -friendliness and efficient and accurate analyses should be included in the pre-processor.
In the present work, an intelligent and adaptive AMG process is developed for the rigid-plastic finite element analyses of bulk metal forming processes. In previous adaptive mesh generation processes, the user should decide mesh density, mesh size control and remeshing criteria. In the developed process, the computer replaces the user by introducing some proposed factors including errors due to plastic work, effective strain rate gradient and damage integration parameters. The factors used to produce the density field are incorporated in the adaptive AMG process in order to remove the user's decisions so that the adaptive mesh generation process can be fully performed in the developed computer program. As a result, It is finally should that the developed adaptive AMG provides the ground for the ICAE by integrating the pre-processor and the solver of the analysis system.
